(April 3, 1930-February 9, 2018)
Born in Bay, Arkansas
Outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals (1954-58) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1959-65)
.289 career batting average
142 home runs
661 runs batted in
National League Rookie of the Year (1954)

Why he might be annoying

He had a prominent unibrow.
After four years in the minors, he ignored his assignment and showed up at the Cardinals’ spring training camp, saying he would either make the team or quit baseball (1954).
Between his name and his career overlapping with the start of the space race, it was probably inevitable that his home runs would be dubbed ‘moon shots.’
Thanks to the odd dimensions produced by forcing a baseball field into the Los Angeles Coliseum, a lot of the moon shots he blooped over the left field wall (a 40-foot tall screen only 251 feet from home plate) would have been pop outs in a normal stadium.
He was so competitive that it would often take him until three in the morning to unwind after a night game.

Why he might not be annoying

He grew up in a house without indoor plumbing.
He turned down a $1,000 signing bonus from the Pittsburgh Pirates to attend college.
While playing in the minor leagues, he finished earning a masters degree in administrative education.
Receiving 17 of 24 votes for Rookie of the Year, he easily outpaced future Hall of Famers Ernie Banks (4 votes) and Hank Aaron (one vote).
He was a left-handed hitter who had to change his batting style to take advantage of the Coliseum’s short left fence.
He was married to Bettye Knowles for over 60 years.